CALIFORNIA RESEARCH BUREAUCALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARYStudies in the News

California -- One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago

May 7, 1856 - "Stephen C. Foster began his fourth separate term as Mayor of Los Angeles. Foster, who was the first mayor of Los Angeles under American rule, had been mayor three seperate times between 1848-1855…. Foster left office on September 22, 1856.... Next John Greg Nichols served as Mayor From October 12, 1856 until 1859. Nichols was a businessman and a builder who lived in the first brick house to be built in Los Angeles. His son was the first American to be born in the city, and he was the first mayor to expand the city." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Requena

1856 - "Manuel Requena served the City of Los Angeles in both the Mexican and American periods…. Requena previously served as First Alcade from 1844 to 1845, during the last years of Los Angeles under Mexican rule. Requena became a charter member, when the Los Angeles Common Council was formed in 1850 after Los Angeles was incorporated as an American town. Later while council president, he served as acting mayor for twelve days in 1856 from September 22 to October 12, 1856." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Requena

Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the
State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with
state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current
articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

California State Employees may contact the State Information & Reference Center
(916-654-0206;
cslsirc@library.ca.gov) with the SITN issue number and the item number [S#].

All other interested individuals should contact their local library - the items may be available there, or
may be borrowed by your local library on your behalf.

["After peaking in 1999, the number of youth in custody
began to fall -— for the first time in a generation.... Racial disparity in the juvenile justice system is declining. For example, the black juvenile
violent crime arrest rate in the late
1980s was six times the white rate. By 2003, it had fallen to four times the white rate. During the same period, the black juvenile arrest rate
for drug abuse violations fell from
five times to less than double the
white rate."]

["Recent public opinion polls suggest immigration is less of a hot-button issue in this state than some other parts of the nation. Only 10 percent of Californians in a recent poll rated immigration as the most important issue facing the state. 'The vast majority may want illegal immigration to cease,' Johnson said. 'A majority also see that pragmatically, and from a humanitarian perspective, one cannot deport 11 million people, a lot of whom have kids.'" Contra Costa Times (April 11, 2006) F4.]

["Although the U.S. Hispanic population predates the founding of the United States, the recent emergence of Hispanics as the largest minority group is one of the most important demographic changes of the 20th century....This volume provides detailed analyses using multiple sources to characterize this dynamic, eclectic population from multiple perspectives; to evaluate whether and in what ways Hispanics are distinctive from other immigrant and minority groups; and to assess the social integration prospects of recent arrivals and their descendants."] Note: Hispanics and the Future of America is available for loan.

["The Inland Empire, fed by migrants from coastal California, is the fastest-growing urban area in the United States.... Since 2000, there has also been a significant outflow of people from places long associated with the ideal of California living
-- Los Angeles and the Bay Area -- to more affordable regions.... Factors for luring people included more affordable housing, better school systems and a rapidly expanding economy." Los Angeles Times (April 19, 2006) 1.]

["Louisiana now has one of the most pro-movie taxing structures in the nation. But is Louisiana getting a fair deal?... This report compares the actual benefits the state receives with the cost of offering such lavish tax incentives, and examines motion picture incentives offered by other states. The report concludes with recommendations that Louisiana should adopt to ensure the effectiveness of its incentive program."]

["Offshoring occurred in one or more programs in 43 of 50 states and the District of Columbia, most frequently in the Food Stamp and TANF programs. The services most frequently performed offshore were functions related to customer service, such as call centers, and software development. India was the most prevalent offshore location, followed by Mexico. We did not find any occurrences of offshoring in the Pell Grant and FFEL programs."]

["State pension funds nationwide continued to recover last year from the financial shock of a stock market downturn that left a majority with big gaps between assets and future liabilities. The report ... found nine of 58 major U.S. public retirement plans in 2005 had enough assets to meet all future pension obligations, up from about 10 percent the previous year. That's a far cry from 57 percent in 2000." Sacramento Bee (April 4, 2006) 1.]

Keeping California's Edge: The Growing Demand for Highly Educated Workers. By Robert Fountain and Marcia Cosgrove, Applied Research Center, California State University, Sacramento. Prepared for the California Business Roundtable and the Campaign for College Opportunity. (The Campaign, Oakland, California) April 2006.

["The study looked at the future needs of the state's economy and found that the demand for workers with a college degree will grow by 48 percent over the next 16 years. By contrast, the demand for those without a degree will grow by only 33 percent. If businesses can't find workers to fill these specialized, knowledge-based jobs, they'll move away, the study warns." San Jose Mercury News (April 27, 2006) 1.]

["More than 100,000 U.S. workers daily are looking for jobs or working as day laborers, and have become part of the debate over illegal immigration.... Day laborers are protected by federal and state employment laws; laws in nine states expand protections for these workers."]

["An Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) is a simple, market-based mechanism to encourage more efficient generation, transmission, and use of electricity and natural gas.... We recommend that both states and the federal government enact EERSs covering both electric and gas utilities. So far, states have led EERS efforts and more states should consider policies of this type. Eventually, the federal government should follow these leading states and enact a national EERS so as to expand the savings and benefits throughout the country."]

American Lung Association State of the Air: 2006. By the American Lung Association. (The Association, New York, New York) April 2006.

["This annual air-quality report card flunked San Joaquin Valley counties for the seventh consecutive year. Bakersfield took the spot for the most ozone-polluted city in the country, edging out Los Angeles and Riverside. And Kern County topped the list of most-polluted counties for ozone, the main ingredient of smog." Fresno Bee (April 27, 2006) 1.]

When the Big One Strikes Again: Estimated Losses Due to a Repeat of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. By Charles Kircher, Kircher and Associates, and others. Presented to the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference Commemorating the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. (The Conference, San Francisco, California) April 2006.

["New research on earthquakes presented to mark the 100th anniversary of this city's great quake paints a disquieting picture of California's preparedness for a major temblor.
The overarching message of scientists gathered here was twofold. First, future quakes could easily do more damage than past ones because the population of California continues to increase and there are more buildings in areas near fault lines on soft ground susceptible to liquefaction. Second, the state must do more to retrofit vulnerable buildings." Los Angeles Times (April 21, 2006) 1.]

["Attorney General Bill Lockyer went to court to block efforts by three giant tobacco companies and two dozen smaller ones to recover $153.4 million they paid the state in 2004 under a landmark legal settlement.... Lockyer said the companies became 'eligible' for reduced payments after market share losses in 2003, but that didn't mean they were entitled to them." Sacramento Bee (April 19, 2006) D2.]

["More than 282,000 overweight children under the age of seven do not fit into most child safety or booster seats available on the market and therefore are improperly restrained inside vehicles.... 'As the number of obese children in the United States increases, it is essential to develop child safety seats that can protect children of all sizes and shapes,' wrote study author Lara Trifiletti." USA Today (April 3, 2006) 3A.]

["In this study, children who received dental restorative treatment with amalgam did not, on average, have statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral
assessments or in nerve conduction velocity when compared with children who received resin composite materials without amalgam. These findings, combined with a later trend of higher treatment needs among those receiving composite, suggest that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative option for children."]

["If the U.S. government does nothing, a deadly global flu outbreak is likely to strike one in three people, according to the results of a computer simulation. If government acts fast enough and has enough antiviral medicine to use as a preventative--and the United States doesn't right now--the number could drop to about 28 percent of the population. Seattle Post Intelligencer ( April 26, 2006 ) 1.]

["The White House unveiled a foreboding report on the nation's lack of preparedness for a bird flu pandemic, warning that such an outbreak could kill as many as 2 million people and deal a war-like blow to the country's economic and social fabric.... State, local and tribal governments should 'anticipate that all sources of external aid may be compromised during a pandemic,' it said, meaning that 'local communities will have to address the medical and non-medical effects of the pandemic with available resources.'" Los Angeles Times (May 4, 2006) A6.]

["Good quality care for residents and a stable Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) workforce depend on providing CNAs with the training they need to be well prepared for their jobs.... Although the needs of nursing home residents have
become more complex since 1987, federal standards for CNA training have not changed. This raises concerns that CNAs may be unprepared to provide good quality care to today’s nursing home residents. In addition, inadequate training contributes to staff dissatisfaction and high
turnover, which also adversely affect quality of care."]

["According to a national study, states with laws against predatory lending aren't cutting off access to home loans for subprime borrowers (consumers with blemished credit records).... The study looked at more than 6 million subprime loans from 1998 through 2004. In its key finding, the study said that the total subprime lending volume in states with reforms is similar to that found in states without significant protections." The [Durham] Herald-Sun (February 24, 2006) 1.]

All Children Deserve a Permanent Home: Subsidized Guardianships as a Common Sense Solution for Children in
Long-Term Relative Foster Care. By Generations United. (Generations United, Washington, DC) 2006. 15 p.

["Many children are unable to exit the foster care system to live permanently with relatives, because once they leave the foster care system, they are unable to access much-needed supports and services like adequate medical care or special educational assistance. This report contains state-by-state data on the number of children living in foster care with relative caregivers, describing why subsidized guardianship can help children exit foster care for safe, permanent families."]

["After nearly a decade of decline, the number of children living in low-income families steadily increased, a pattern that began in 2000. This data book provides national and 50-state trend data on the characteristics of low-income children over the past decade: parental education, parental employment, marital status, family structure, race and ethnicity, age distribution, parental nativity, home ownership, residential mobility, type of residential area, and region of residence."]

[The following studies, reports, and documents have been ordered or requested,
but have not yet arrived. Requests may be placed, and copies will be provided
when the material arrives.]

ECONOMY

HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

Cyberstates 2006: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry. By the American Electronics Association. (The Association, Washington, DC) April 2006. 165 p.

["In California, widely considered the epicenter of the U.S. tech industry, job loss slowed. In 2004, high tech lost only 10,600 jobs, compared to a loss of 67,800 jobs in 2003. The report also confirmed that California continued to lead the nation by most high-tech industry metrics. California tech companies reported the largest payrolls of technology employers nationwide, and California tech workers had the highest average wage in the United States." AEA Press Release (April 19, 2006) 1.] Note: Cyberstates ... is available for loan.